The Appalachian Trail runs from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is 2180 miles long. Every year a few hundred people start at one end and hike to the other.

They say the average person will burn about 7000 Calories a day (some even more). You cannot carry that much food with you.

I have read a LOT of books written by people who hike the trail and the weight loss is always incredible (even with people who are thin to start with). 50 pounds in the first two months seems pretty common with people who are 50 or more pounds overweight.

Most people end up binging in town, but it doesn't make a difference because they simply burn the calories off so fast.

Have some overweight, probably out of shape people walk 30+ miles a day, and that would be stretching it, for months on end and carrying a 20-30 lb pack. I guess if it didn't kill them then they probably would have lost a lot of weight and be in spectacular shape. Or super thin and wrecked physically....

Actually a few 300+ pound people have done it. They simply start out doing what they can do. Sometimes it's only 3 or 4 miles per day at first. To finish in six months you only need to average 12 per day and most people are doing around 20 or more by the time they hit Virginia (not as hard as it sounds). 2 mph for 10 hours or 1.5 mph 13 hours.

I would love to hike the whole Appalachian! I used to live right off the trail in NJ so I have done all of the NJ section (not very long). The part that I don't understand is how they don't have to go to work! How do I get that much time off to spend out on the trail?? The same thing goes for people who get to backpack through Europe and what-not. I guess you just "make" the time.